Couples counselling: the balance to a stress- free lifestyle

Couples counselling is the “glue” that holds most couples together when life becomes demanding and over bearing. In today’s hectic life most couples find it difficult to juggle work life, their personal lives and raising children all at the same time. Finding this delicate balance may be impossible for most couples and that is why we at Bryanwood Therapy & Assessment Centre offer couples counselling to aid couples failing to cope with all the demands.

Couples counselling looks at the various aspects between the couple and identifies potential solutions for improving the way in which they deal with their challenges. With the standard and cost of living ever rising, many couples find themselves working like slaves in order to pay the bills in order to provide the best possible education for their children as well as paying the home bond and vehicle repayments. As a result most of us tend to neglect our physical well being.

How can I start living a more balanced lifestyle?

Regular exercise and eating correctly is vital if we wish to live a balanced lifestyle.  Exercising together is not just beneficial to your health but it’s also a great opportunity to spend time with your partner. Spending time together can foster a healthy line of communication through which couples can express themselves. Good communication is key to a healthy resilient relationship. improving a couple’s abiity to communicate and enhancing connection is a key focus in couples therapy. Failure for couples to communicate with one another often leads to disconnection, lack of understanding and, in the worst case scenario, separation or divorce.

Tackling the issues which impact negatively on your relationship and physical and emotional wellbeing is important. Couples counselling gives couples a platform to grapple with life’s demands in a bid to establish a healthy balance between work, personal life and raising children.

Raising children is a huge challenge in itself. Ensuring your child or children also become involved in sports and other extra curriculum activities and follow a healthy and balanced diet is vital for their wellbeing.

If your relationship and physical health are being negatively affected by stress and the complexity of juggling various roles, such as those of parenting, work as well as the demands related to being in a relationship, we urge you to contact us to schedule an appointment for our couples counselling sessions.

We are open Monday-Sunday from 7:00am – 7:00pm by appointment only.

Tel: 011 706-2269

011 706-0979

011 463-1488

Fax: 011 463-4765

E-mail: bryanwood@bryanwood.co.za

Career Assessments: what to do after Matric?

Bryanwood Therapy Assessment Centre offers career assessments designed to help individuals leaving high school to understand how a variety of their personal attributes (i.e. interests, values, preferences, motivations, aptitudes and skills), impact their potential success and satisfaction with different career options and work environments. Career assessments are designed to discover the skills, aptitude and talents of candidates.

Today, career assessments are becoming the popular choice for many children struggling to determine what exactly they will be doing after Matric. Identifying strengths and weaknesses is a great place to start as it offers a clear understanding of the areas in which a child might excel.

“I’m confused, I don’t know what I want to do after Matric…”

Does this sound familiar? Matriculating from high school is the end of an era. While many teens see high school as a chore, something to get through and leave behind, the reality is that high school is the last frontier to cross before the responsibility of adulthood takes centre stage. This is the ideal time to have a career assessment done.

What are my choices, post Matric?

Study (University or College)

The biggest hurdle faced by many teens leaving Matric, wanting to go on straight to University or College is the high cost of tuition and books. If parents can afford to pay those fees, then this may be the best possible move after Matriculating. However, if personal finances are not available, then other means may need to be considered to enable your teen to study further, if a Scholarship, Bursary or Tertiary educational funds are not available.

Work

Teens could gain a lot of work experience from jumping into the work world directly from high school. Work experience on your CV is beneficial when seeking employment. Working various jobs after Matriculating can help teens discover what they like and don’t like about the working environment and allows for better planning of future career paths. It is also a great opportunity to raise and save funds for tuition.

Gap year

Gap years are great because they afford the time for self discovery. Teens may decide to travel the world, work or engage in volunteer work in other parts of the world. Again it’s wise to seek a counsellor to do a career assessment and psychological assessment to determine what’s best

Bryanwood has psychologists who can assist you and your child to make the best possible decisions with regards to your child’s future through various means, such as a career assessment and/or individual therapy.

Call: 011 706 2269/ 011 706 0979/ 011 463 1488

Email: bryanwood@bryanwood.co.za

Emigration assessment

For various reasons many families are leaving South Africa to begin a new life in a foreign country. Are you emigrating to a new country with young children? If so, have you thought about how they will adapt to their new life there, interact with other children and whether they will cope with the language barrier (if emigrating to a non-English speaking country)? These are important questions you need to get answers to before you pack your bags and purchase your air tickets.

At Bryanwood Therapy & Assessment Centre we provide emigration assessments to determine and quantify your child’s educational needs prior to emigration. The aim of an emigration assessment is to evaluate whether your child is prepared and ready for the adjustment of moving to a new country as well as to make recommendations which would facilitate an easier transition.

Our emigration assessments are undertaken by our experienced and highly qualified child psychologists.

How should you prepare children for the move?

• Discuss the idea early to give your child time to get used to the idea and to allow them time to tell you their worries or to ask questions
• Involve them in the planning and decision making
• Invest in language tapes and information about the new culture, if that is relevant
• Accept their feelings as real and treat them with sensitivity and empathy
• Look for books and DVD’s etc. about the new country
• Get them involved in the sorting and packing
• Explain why you are moving – remember not to make promises about things you can’t control, such as saying everyone will be nice to them
• Be patient as your children may find this very difficult to understand and cope with

Contact us to make an appointment for an emigration assessment

Coping with your child leaving the care of your umbrella

When a child leaves home for the first time it is often a very exciting move for the individual. However for parents it can be an extremely difficult change or transition. This difficult adjustment is often normal but for some parents it can lead to distressing times. This is common in a parent or parents who may have attachment issues.

“Helicopter Parents” or those parents who tend to hover over their children are often the parents who have a difficult time “letting go”.

Keeping a child under your care and responsibility even when they are old enough to look after themselves can lead to serious consequences.  Children may become dependent on their parents even in their adult life and some may have difficulty making new friends or being sociable outside of their parent’s house. It is natural for any parent to feel attached to their child or children. This in many circumstances, however, is not always positive.

When a child leaves home for the first time, parents may suffer from depression and feelings of loss.

Bryanwood Therapy and Assessment Centre offers counseling to assist parents and children caught up in this predicament.

Call 011 706 2269 or 011 706 0979 to make an appointment.

Email bryanwood@bryanwood.co.za

A balanced lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle

Nowadays with busy work schedules, overtime, deadlines, studies, kids, the rising petrol prices, inflation, social obligations, house chores, bond payments, etc, it is getting harder for most people to lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle. For most, our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing comes in second place to everything else. This is to ensure we stay in control of the ever increasing load of work, responsibility and stress that we need to try and manage (or so we think).

Living a balanced lifestyle is the key to ensuring that you can have time for yourself, your work, your friends, your family and then time to enjoy life and the things that you love to do. Admittedly, achieving this is easier said than done.

There is no doubt that eating correctly coupled by regular exercise, leads to a happier and healthier you. The trick to healthy living is making small changes, taking more steps, adding fruit and vegetables to your diet or having an extra glass of water. These are just a few ways you can start living a healthier lifestyle without making drastic changes.

Bryanwood offers highly qualified therapists who are dedicated to help you cope with the stress of a demanding life. Finding a way to cope with stress and find balance is often the most difficult part of the process for many individuals. This is where Bryanwood is able to assist.

Contact us today to make an appointment

Email bryanwood@bryanwood.co.za

Is a gap year the best decision for your child?

For a variety of reasons, many matriculants leaving high school choose to take time off before enrolling into university. Some wish to travel the world, some are uncertain of what careers to follow and some are unsure of their financial situation and want to gain experience in the “real world” before making a big commitment. Whatever the reason, understanding the pro’s and cons will help avoid the “gap year” from stretching on indefinitely.

Pros

• A gap year allows school leavers to take a step back and “recharge” after years of the daily academic grind
• A gap year will allow students the opportunity to think about what career path to follow
• Work experience is a great résumé-builder and can result in increased focus and maturity
• Working full time can help students save up money for university fees

Cons

• It’s easy to lose focus and fall out of the academic routine
• Watching friends and classmates move on to university before you ,can be disheartening for most children
• Students who wait, sometimes lose access to guidance counselors, peer support, and even scholarship resources that they had fresh out of high school

Educational psychologists at Bryanwood Therapy and Assessment Centre are trained and experienced in dealing with matriculants and parents faced with this all important decision.

Contact us on 011 706 2269 or 011 706 0979 to make an appointment

Email bryanwood@bryanwood.co.za

Exam time can be a stressful period for children

Writing exams is bound to be stressful because of what’s at stake. Many adolescents feel a weight of expectation from their parents, teachers or lecturers to excel.  Although a small amount of anxiety is imperative for good performance during exam time, if not managed properly it could lead to more serious factors, such as depression.  It is also important to take into account that children/ teens may be feeling anxious about other areas of their lives, causing increased volumes of stress.

It is important to assist your child in dealing with the stress and anxiety that comes with writing or preparing for an exam. Often when a child is feeling the pressures of school and exams, it can affect other areas of the child’s life. Some children are vocal about how they feel, others may be a little more withdrawn when it comes to expressing themselves.  There are a number of issues that stress can cause:

• Lack of concentration
• Sudden mental blockade
• Correlating information becomes difficult
• Negative thoughts
• Low self-esteem
• Physical symptoms (headaches, muscle tension, nausea and many more)

Detecting symptoms early and seeing a therapist is a positive and healthy way of dealing with these issues before they lead to something worse, such as a breakdown or depression.

Call one of our experts at Bryanwood Therapy and Assessment Centre on 011 706 2269 or 011 706 0979 to make an appointment

Email bryanwood@bryanwood.co.za

Couples therapy: Imago Relationship Therapy

Couples Therapy can safeguard your relationship and save you from ongoing emotional pain and psychological distress. Problems in a relationship or marriage can be caused by numerous factors including:

• Financial problems,
• Abuse (physical, emotional, sexual)
• Substance abuse, and
• Lack of communication

However through Couples Therapy, couples can be helped to deal with their problems together. Divorces or break ups can have devastating results not only on the couple involved but even worse, for any child/ren caught up in the middle of it all.

Bryanwood Therapy and Assessment Centre is a private practice of psychologists in Sandton with many years of experience in helping couples whose relationships are in trouble. Through our highly experienced and qualified therapists, we offer couples therapy and premarital counseling. The purpose of Couples Therapy is to restore a better level of functioning in couples who experience relationship distress.

Our aim is to identify the presence of dissatisfaction and distress in the relationship, and to devise and implement a treatment plan with objectives designed to improve or alleviate the presenting symptoms and restore the relationship to a better and healthier level of functioning.

Imago Relationship Therapy

Couples Therapy can assist partners who are feel disconnected and have concerns with regards to their level of intimacy, the quality of their sexual relatonship as well and their ability to communicate effectively. A tried and tested Couples Therapy programme worth looking into isImago Relationship Therapy developed by author and clinical pastoral counselor, famously known for his work with couples, Harville Hendrix. Imago Relationship Therapy is designed to help you reconnect with your partner through a new way of talking and listening, called the Imago Dialogue.

The purpose of the Imago Dialogue is to help you get to the core of the relationship conflict, and to find ways of dealing with it mutually. This programme is an emotionally safe and intimate form of Couples Therapy and is the most effective tool for satisfying our inborn yearning for wholeness and connection.

Perhaps you are in a relationship that is struggling to stay on track or maybe you are wondering what happened to the chemistry and the passion that existed before conflict and distress took over. Whatever your situation may, be don’t let it destroy your marriage or relationship. Let our therapists at Bryanwood, specialising in Couples Therapy, help you revive that spark.

Contact Bryanwood is open Monday-Sunday from 7:00am – 7:00pm by appointment only. Please feel free to contact us should you wish to schedule an appointment with one of our therapist.

Tel:
011 706-2269
011 706-0979
011 463-1488
Fax: 011 463-4765
E-mail: bryanwood@bryanwood.co.za

Peer pressure, sexual pressure and the dangers there of

Many teens, especially boys, feel forced to have sex before they are ready as a result of peer pressure. For most adolescents, both boys and girls, dating is great and, a lot of the time, it’s harmless fun. But when teens are pressured into it, it usually turns out to be a scary time for not only for the teenager involved but for their parents too. The effects of peer pressure may be detrimental to the teenager’s self esteem and can be long lasting.

Peer pressure is not necessarily a bad thing as teens may influence each other positively sometimes. While many teenagers wish they could talk to their parents about sex, most feel uncomfortable asking sex related questions. Instead, teens get most of their information on the topic from peers, TV and the movies. Unfortunately, much of what they learn is not in their best interests!

If you aren’t talking to your teen about dating, peer pressure and the sexual pressures they face, chances are that their peers will do it for you – the only problem is that their parents may also not be talking to them. Don’t wait for your son or daughter to start the conversation – it’s up to you. If you’ve already begun talking to your child about these issues, great! Keep talking.

In South Africa thousands of teenagers fall victim to sexual pressures due to peer pressure, societal pressures, the media and so on; no wonder we bear the highest statistics of sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy figures in the world!

Spending most of their time in the company of friends, teenagers are exposed to peer pressure on a daily basis. In fact it is probably the main cause of teens engaging in things they shouldn’t.

Bryanwood offers qualified and experienced therapists who can help teens in this specific area, giving them help in dealing with peer pressure and handling sexual pressure.

Some tips for parents

• Teens need accurate information and decision-making skills to help protect them from feeling pressured to have sexual relationships
• If talking with your teen about sex is difficult for you, admit it. Keep a sense of humor
• Use TV, movies, articles, and real-life situations such as a friend’s pregnancy to begin talking
• Share your values regarding sex. Remember your teen may choose to have sex despite your values
• Don’t assume that if your teen asks questions about sex, that he or she is necessarily thinking about having sex
• Talk with your teen about reasons to abstain
• Reassure your teen that not everyone is having sex and that it is okay to be a virgin
• Leave age-appropriate articles or books about teenage sexuality around your home

Bryanwood Therapy & Assessment Centre is open seven days a week from 7:00am – 7:00pm. Contact us to book your appointment.Fill out an enquiry form! 

Tel:  011 706-2269

011 706-0979

011 463-1488

Fax: 011 463-4765

E-mail: bryanwood@bryanwood.co.za

Exam stress and career assessments

That time of the year is here again when Grade 11’s and Matrics are feeling the heat. Final exams are fast approaching which means that weekends and spare time will be, if it isn’t already, taken up by studying. Exam time is always stressful, even if you have been working diligently throughout the year.

There are, however, many people who are seriously affected by the amount of exam stress that they develop. If you are one of these people, it is important to keep that exam stress under control. If stress has always been a dominating factor in your life, one that tends to cripple your abilities, often it is a good idea to seek outside assistance. Psychologists will provide you with long- term coping skills that you will be able to apply to not only exam stress but various other parts of your life. Speak to a Psychologist in Sandton.

Dealing with exam stress

Exam stress can affect everybody differently. Although during these stressful times it may seem as though you don’t have your anxiety under control, by following a structured and well planned schedule, you will be able to work with your anxious feelings in a controlled manner:

• Plan your study schedule
• Be realistic (set reachable targets)
• Make notes (stick up noted around your house)
• Clear doubts (gain as much of an understanding about your work as possible)
• Revise, Revise, Revise!
• Positivity is key (avoid negative people, places and situations)
• Eat properly
• Get plenty of sleep
• Exercise daily (even a walk around the block helps!)

Talking about general stress prior to studying is always a good idea. This ensures that it doesn’t contribute to exam stress and affect one’s studying and performance. Chat to a Psychologist in Sandton today!

Choosing a career path

Deciding on a career is possibly one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Career assessments provide a thorough understanding of a person’s strengths and weaknesses as well as evaluating the level of cognitive and behavioral functioning of the person.

Highlighting likes and dislikes, career assessments assist a person is narrowing down their career options. There are various aspects that career assessments highlight.

• Personality functioning
• Aptitude
• Goals
• Values

Psycholgists in Sandton, based at Bryanwood Therapy and Assessment Centre offer career assessments that will assist you in combining outcomes to increase self- knowledge. With these career assessment results on hand, you will certainly be able to make a more informed and specific decision as to what career path you should be following.

With tertiary education being so expensive in South Africa, it certainly does help to have a career assessment to help you make this difficult decision early on.

Psychologists in Sandton (Bryanwood Therapy and Assessment Centre) are highly experienced and qualified to assist you with exam stress as well as choosing your career path with the help of career assessments.

Call  011 706 2269 or 011 706 0979 or 011 463 1488

Email bryanwood@bryanwood.co.za